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Updated: Jul 10, 2026
08:47
Oral Health Assessment by Lay Personnel for Older Adults
Published on: February 2, 2020
Deliberate self-harm in older people revisited
H C Lamprecht1, S Pakrasi, A Gash
1Old Age Psychiatry, Newcastle General Hospital Newcastle upon Tyne, UK. hclamprecht@hotmail.com
International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry
|October 27, 2005
Summary
Deliberate self-harm (DSH) in older adults is increasing, particularly in men, and may mirror younger adult patterns. General Practitioners (GPs) play a key role in prevention.
Area of Science:
- Geriatric Psychiatry
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Deliberate self-harm (DSH) in older adults is under-researched.
- It is often associated with mental illness and suicide risk.
- Existing research does not fully capture DSH patterns in the elderly.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate deliberate self-harm (DSH) among individuals aged 65 and over.
- To analyze DSH trends in older populations presenting to acute hospital services.
- To identify characteristics and risk factors associated with DSH in the elderly.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective observational study design.
- Review of 97 DSH episodes in 82 patients aged 65+.
- Data collected from 2000-2002 via Liaison Psychiatric Service.
Main Results:
- A year-on-year increase in DSH episodes among older adults was observed, notably in men.
- Twenty-one percent of older men had no clear psychiatric diagnosis.
- Medication overdose was the most common DSH method (93%), with prescribed drugs frequently used (66%).
- Marriage was more prevalent in males (56%) than females (26%) presenting with DSH.
Conclusions:
- DSH in the elderly may increasingly resemble patterns seen in younger adults.
- An upward trend in DSH among older men is suggested.
- Marriage may not be a protective factor for DSH in older men.
- Further long-term studies are needed to confirm evolving DSH patterns in the elderly.
- General Practitioners (GPs) are crucial for DSH prevention in older populations.
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